Ian Wason
Freelance Reporter
There was an array of colours, feathers and history at the Hyatt Regency compound on Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain, on Saturday evening when ‘Echoes of Iere—Welcome Back to Beauty’ was launched by Carnival band, YUMA.
With 14 sections, YUMA’s faithful and even those who wish to join the large band will be thrilled with the choices in the various colours and costumes that graced the runway in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Media officer for the band, Acacia De Verteuil told Guardian Media YUMA decided as a band to get back to T&T’s roots and portray its rich history in 2025.
“Iere was one of the initial names for the indigenous name of Trinidad and Tobago,” De Verteuil explained.
“Our intent was to really sort of capture what our initial roots were. If you were to look at these sections you’d see we have everything, or as many things encompassing what is Trinidad and Tobago.”
The band launch, always one of the more anticipated events in the local Carnival calendar, started before midnight with the house DJs entertaining partygoers and band members until the MCs, social media influencer Junior Lee and media personality Whitney Husbands, graced the stage just after midnight and welcomed the models on stage to showcase the different sections.
Designer Rawle Permanand said he was inspired by Tobago for the two sections he designed.
“So I use a lot of kensie fabric, shells, very close to us,” he explained.
“I did orange. For me, orange signifies that love, that unity among all of us. And then I did, the second is the Buccoo Reef. Three shades of blue. I added a splash of colour in there, some coral, some lime green, some lavender, just to kind of raise the element of what we knew the Buccoo Reef to be, you know, very colourful.”
One of the features of any band launch is live performances.
Patrice Roberts, who was a surprise model performed some of her hits while dressed in one of the costumes.
De Verteuil promised the costumes would be affordable and the band will assist revellers to be part of the band in 2025.
“We really try to ensure that our masqueraders can afford a luxury experience,” De Vertueil said, before adding, “In addition to the fact that the registration will be opening very soon, you have a lot of time to span out your payments in order to make it comfortable for you. We try to ensure that we can accommodate people as best as possible.
“We’ve been known for having a budget section. One of the things we’ve experienced over time is we have people who we put something out there in terms of a budget section, but everybody wants the front line, everybody wants the hard line.”
